


Soft Brown Hair

by MidoriEmmi



Series: SouMako Week 2014 [4]
Category: Free!
Genre: Friendship, M/M, Romance, SouMako Week 2014
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-16
Updated: 2014-10-16
Packaged: 2018-02-21 10:22:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2464769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidoriEmmi/pseuds/MidoriEmmi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first thing he does, is notice the other's soft brown hair. The second thing he does, is declare his wish for the future. The third thing Sousuke does, is return to his childhood home. Because if he doesn't it's a wish unfulfilled and a promise broken, for Makoto has been waiting the whole time. For SouMako Week Day 3 on Tumblr. Oneshot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Soft Brown Hair

**Author's Note:**

> This is really late, I'm sorry 8'D. I decided it was too hard to choose and went with both post graduation and elementary school. Enjoy!

The first thing he notices when he first meets Tachibana Makoto, is that she has the prettiest, softest looking brown hair he has ever seen. In all his 6 years of life he has yet to see such an amazing shade of light chocolate, that shines olive at angles where the light strokes it, that perfectly frames an equally perfect face.

It takes him a full month, but eventually Yamazaki Sousuke realizes that Makoto is not a girl and in fact a _boy_ , and he spends the rest of the day with reddened cheeks as the other assures him that it is alright, that at least he knows the truth now. The brunet smiles his brightest smile, but all Sousuke can see is the hint of amusement behind closed eyelids, and he sputters apologies for the rest of the day, in 10-minute intervals.

Makoto is tiny, the raven thinks, as the class takes their measurements and he has to take the effort to _find_ him among the other boys. It isn’t as hard as expected, because all Sousuke has to do is hunt for the familiar brown that caught his attention in the first place. And whenever his classmate turns around to look, he can be sure he’s the first to meet that gentle gaze. Makoto’s turn comes, and he pouts as the nurse tells him he’s barely grown since the last checkup. Sousuke is almost glad to hear that he too has barely grown, and he all but runs to where the brunet is silently moping. The raven ruffles his friend’s hair even though they are the same height, muttering about how he shouldn’t be too upset because hey they are growing boys after all and it doesn’t mean he will never grow AND THAT HE TOO HAS BARELY GROWN and so Makoto is not alone in this.

It is the first time Sousuke has seen Makoto’s eyes so up close, and all he can think of is how the mesmerizing green behind those glistening tears compliment the other’s brown hair beautifully. The brunet does cheer up in the end, and Sousuke wonders why his face is heating up as emerald orbs are lost in upturned crescent moons, as Makoto thanks him.

Sousuke does not hold back when he confidently states his wish for the future. He grips onto his crude crayon drawing of two people holding hands and makes sure everyone is listening before he takes his turn to present his artwork.

“When I grow up, I want to marry Makoto!”

The class starts to applaud, and the raven is puzzled as to why his teachers are doubled over in laughter. He’s upset when he is told that such a thing is impossible, and he sulks for the rest of the day, refusing to look at anyone.

What he does not notice however, is how Makoto’s face is stained a tomato red, and how he glances over at the drawing from time to time, until the end of class.

Makoto is a very kind child, and Sousuke is convinced he is the embodiment of an angel sent from the highest heavens to bless their humble school. Teachers, parents, classmates, and essentially everyone find themselves charmed by him. The raven frowns, for he doesn’t like the attention the other is getting. It just means less time for him to spend with the other and that alone is enough to upset him.

Because he still wants to marry Makoto, and he doesn’t like this unpleasant feeling in his chest when he sees his beloved friend opting to spend time with someone else instead of him.

Graduation comes, and Sousuke throws a huge tantrum because he does not want to leave for Tokyo, does not want to leave his home, and he does not want to say goodbye.

Most of all, he does not want to leave Makoto, nor does he want to have to endure possibly never seeing him again. The brunet comforts him, even as his tears trail erratic paths down his face, and he promises that they will someday meet again. He wipes Sousuke’s tears away, and says that his eyes already look a lot like water, that he shouldn’t try to add more. The raven looks up at Makoto. Somewhere along the way, the other’s height just shot up and he now towered over Sousuke by a full head, but it never stopped him from being just as kind and caring as when he was little.

Their goodbyes are carried off by the wind, and by the time Sousuke reaches his new home, he can only remember a pair of shiny green eyes, a head of unruly brown hair, and a promise to not forget.

Middle school is different, as Sousuke learns, and a lot tougher than back when he was in Iwatobi. Of course it’s a step up from elementary school, but the environment is more competitive than he is used to. His parents are busy, and he is often left in the hands of a babysitter if not his grandparents, and he understands that they only want the best for him. He’s started to take up swimming, and he beams with pride as he’s chosen for the school team. Maybe Tokyo isn’t so bad after all.

But then he looks down at the card Makoto made for him as a farewell gift, and he gets this sinking feeling that leaves him in a cranky mood for the rest of the day.

He does not dare look at the card again, for it is too distracting. He has goals he needs to reach, and he has to put his longing aside, at least for the time being. It is shoved, and high school comes upon Sousuke without much fanfare, a smooth transition to the next chapter of his life.

Sousuke makes sure to keep in touch with Rin, another friend of his from his elementary school days. He always asks for news on Makoto, but he can’t answer his redheaded friend when he asks why the raven doesn’t ask the brunet himself. Perhaps he’s embarrassed that he hasn’t talked to him in so long, having failed to summon enough courage to call each time. There is also the issue of phone bills, and Sousuke believes the reason is just that.

High school teaches him that liking someone of the same gender is abnormal. He looks interested whenever a male classmate brings yet another porn magazine to school, but inside he feels nothing. His thoughts always go back to one person, and he wonders why.

He knows he cannot run anymore when Rin calls him up after graduation, asking, no, demanding him to attend a post graduation celebration in Iwatobi. Sousuke thinks about Rin, thinks about his fiery will of the reddest flames. Then he thinks of a soothing, peaceful calm, a green-tinged brown that he longs to see again. His parents have always said no each time he wanted to go back to Iwatobi in the past. He was always too young, too reckless, too immature to handle a trip back, in their eyes. Sousuke is surprised and glad they say yes this time, and before long he’s packed and ready to go.

The smell of the sea is what brings him back down to earth. It’s a sign that he’s gone back to the place of his childhood, and a sign that he’s about to fulfill a promise he tried to forget, but never could.

“I’m back.” Is all he says as Rin welcomes him, and he meets the many friends the other has made over the years. Sousuke feels like he’s 6 again, as he looks through the bunch in search of the only one he is here for. The redhead sighs exaggeratedly when Sousuke still hasn’t found him after 30 seconds, and he drags out a person who has been hiding behind himself the whole time.

The group falls silent as Makoto smiles nervously at Sousuke, scratching the back of his head and averting his eyes.

Puberty has been kind to Makoto, gifting him with a filled out physique and a face possibly carved using a blade of perfection, buffed with the blessings of the gods above. He is tall, but not taller than Sousuke. Their eyes meet for the first time in over 6 years, and if anything Makoto’s spring green orbs have become more vivid, more gentle.

And his hair. His magical brown locks are still the same, even if they are shorter than he remembers.

“So…we’ve graduated, huh?”

“…yeah.”

The past 2 hours have seen them do nothing but talk. They try to cram half a dozen years of conversation into mere hours, but it is futile. But Sousuke is sure of one thing, and that is the fact that Makoto hasn’t changed, and he is still the person he fell for so many years ago. It is almost as if he never left, the way they converse, but the distance is apparent, and it is only natural. The sun sets too soon, and the beach is covered in darkness, moonlight the only illumination draping over the sand. The waves lap at their sand-covered feet, and Makoto breaks the silence, as he looks out to sea.

“I thought you forgot,” He mutters.

“I’d never forget. I just…I just didn’t want to get distracted because each time I wanted to contact you, to come back and see you…” Sousuke looks the brunet straight in the eye, “…I knew I would break. I knew I would do something irrational like try to run from home because that was how much I wanted to see you.”

His bold declaration coats both their cheeks with pink, a sight the sparse light still fails to hide. Makoto shifts a little closer to him, and chuckles.

“This feels familiar.”

“Familiar?”

Sousuke is confused. He can’t think of any situation that could possibly be similar to this absolutely embarrassing scene.

“You said something back in first grade, when we talked about our wishes for the future.” The brunet says, eyes twinkling in amusement.

**_“When I grow up, I want to marry Makoto!”_ **

The revelation comes back all in a rush, and Sousuke absolutely burns up, sputtering incoherently at the memory. His speech is all jumbled, and he only calms down when he’s convinced his friend does not think too much of it. Awkward silence passes between them, and Sousuke is gripped with a sudden impulse.

He takes firm hold of the front of Makoto’s shirt, and with a yank he punches the other’s lips with his own, but he doesn’t stop there. He makes it count, and only after he pulls away does he realize his eyes were closed the whole time, and that he was never pushed away. They are both breathing heavily, and the brunet’s eyes are clouded over with something he can’t quite pinpoint.

Sousuke speaks first.

“I’m grown up now…so will you marry me?”

And thoroughly regrets it.

The raven entertains thoughts of having lost his childhood friend forever due to his reckless endeavor, and then he feels another hand on his own. Makoto looks at him not with hatred, but with concern, with uncertainty, but also with a hint of relief. Sousuke makes to say something else but he is shut up with another kiss, one he does not initiate. His teal eyes are wide with shock, as he sees a side of Makoto he’s never known.

The brunet stares at him in all seriousness.

“You do realize you’ve left me for 6 years, right? And now out of the blue you ask me something like this?”

Sousuke can feel his confused heart sink, and his brain fails to work at this crucial moment.

“I…”

Makoto sighs, shaking his head.

“Let me rephrase that. Yamazaki Sousuke, make up these 6 years to me, prove yourself, and maybe I’ll give you an answer.”

The brunet finishes off, and in spite of his smooth speech he’s a ripe crimson. Sousuke processes everything, and when he’s done he exhales, side-glancing at Makoto. He takes the other’s hand, and plants a brief kiss on the back of it, prompting a string of exclamations at the romantic gesture.

“…alright.” The raven smiles, his lopsided grin genuine.

“Alright? So is this a promise?”

Makoto is staring into his eyes, probably looking for signs of a lie, an indication that everything is just an intricately thought up prank that will end any moment.

“It’s a promise, Makoto.”

Sousuke pulls the other into tight embrace, and relaxes when he feels arms draping behind his back as well. Their clothes are dirty from the sand, but at this moment he doesn’t care. He has come back to his angel, and this time he is not letting go. He strokes the soft spikes that somehow bounce back after his touch, and he thinks back to how it all started in the first place.

The first thing he notices when he first meets Tachibana Makoto, is that he has the prettiest, softest looking brown hair he has ever seen. In all his 18 years of life he has only seen one person with hair of such an amazing shade of light chocolate, that shines olive at angles where the light strokes it, that perfectly frames an equally perfect face.

It takes him a full 6 years, but eventually Yamazaki Sousuke realizes that Makoto is not just a childhood crush but in fact someone he wants to spend the next 6 years with, and possibly the rest of his life too.

And this time, he won’t forget his promise. Not anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> You can follow me on my personal tumblr blog at https://midori-emmi.tumblr.com


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